Even in places where tropical storms are normal a part of life, Hurricane Melissa and the two recent Typhoons in the Philippines came as a shock to the millions of people who lived through them. When Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica, it was classified as a Category 5 — the strongest storm the island nation has ever experienced. Why are tropical storms like Melissa becoming so severe? And why are they becoming so frequent? Perhaps most importantly, what can we do about it? These are some of the questions we tackle through recorded interviews on the front lines of the storm's impact and with three special guests who are experts in the field of emergency preparedness, disaster response and the science of climate change.

This episode Red Vest podcast takes you on an immersive journey to remote villages in northern Nigeria. There, you will meet the Mothers Clubs and Papas Clubs that are challenging social norms in order to tackle a severe and persistent hunger crisis and improve the health of their communities. We’ll also introduce you to another very important character known as “Tom Brown. “ But you’ll have to listen to the episode to learn how Tom Brown is helping to bring thousands of children back from the brink of severe malnutrition.

It’s one of the most demanding and unusual humanitarian missions happening in the world today, and it’s being carried out at sea, by the crew of the Ocean Viking rescue vessel.

Chartered by SOS MEDITERRANEE in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the ship patrols the Mediterranean Sea to rescue people in deep distress at sea.

Crew members spend months at sea, living in small births, constantly on the lookout for boats in distress — small dinghies, full of people, lost among the waves.

It’s a dangerous assignment. Rescues often happen at night, during times of heavy winds and choppy seas. And it’s not only the forces of nature that make this mission perilous – only a week ago, after this podcast was recorded, the Ocean Viking was hit by multiple gunshots.

So why do they do it? How did the people lost at sea find themselves in these perilous situations? And how does the Ocean Viking crew find them on the vast seascape of the Mediterranean?

In this episode we take you on board the Ocean Viking with Sara Mancinelli, the IFRC operations manager aboard the Ocean Viking and Camille Coletta, IFRC’s protection coordinator aboard the ship.

Please, join us for an immersive audio journey aboard the Ocean Viking, then please subscribe to this channel to hear more compelling audio storytelling as Season 5 of Red Vest podcast gets under way.